Top 5 Best Biceps Exercises for Size and Tone

5 Great Biceps Exercises For Increasing Muscle Mass & Tone

Both men and women who workout often have the desire to develop their biceps. Most men want bigger and chiseled biceps, while women tend to primarily seek toned biceps. Whatever your biceps goals are, the following five biceps exercises covered here are going to help you achieve your goals for either toned or bigger biceps in no time.

You are going to notice that all the biceps exercises that you encounter here are performed with a curling motion. Always remember during these exercises to stretch out your biceps continuously to avoid any injury from occurring. Good luck!

Top 5 Best Biceps Exercises

1.) Reverse Curls

This exercise is sadly not performed as much as it should be, especially for those who are trying to develop bigger biceps. Reverse curls primarily workout your brachialis, which is the muscle that lies beneath the biceps, and the secondary muscles being worked are biceps and your forearms. You can perform these with a variety of different methods such as barbell, dumbbell, and the cable machine.

2.) Preacher Curls

When it comes to isolation this variation of the biceps curl places great emphasis on the muscle heads. Squeeze your muscles and increase the blood flow as you perform each repetition with the preacher curl. This is going to stimulate your muscle and increase its development. Keep in mind that the preacher curl is not an exercise to show off how much weight you can pump out. You will benefit from performing this exercise with a moderate weight amount and higher repetition amount than normal heavy lifts.

3.) Hammer Curls

For some reason this variation of the biceps curl is not performed as often as it should be either. This curl focuses a great deal of isolation on your biceps and forearms as long as you perform them correctly. Have the dumbbells at your sides, palms facing in towards your body. Keep your elbows tucked in and back straight, then simply curl the weight up as far as you can without moving your elbows. Do not use your body to assist with the curl!

4.) 21’s Biceps Curls

This exercise is easy to perform, and works your biceps significantly. The reason it is called 21’s is because you are going to perform 21 repetitions, which is broken up into three different movements that follow each other simultaneously. First, you curl the bar up only to midlevel seven times, to where your arms are parallel with the floor while keeping your elbows in. Next, you immediately switch to curling from midlevel all the way up to where a normal curl is performed. Finally, the last seven reps are fully extended curls. This biceps burnout is sure to be a good match for you if you are seeking new ways to exercise your biceps.

5.) Incline Biceps Curls

Incline biceps curls are a different variation to try when it comes to seated curls. This exercise is going to put the most emphasis on the long head of your biceps, and is one of the only exercises to do so. The reason why is because when you lay at a slant, or incline, your long head is being stretched from the positioning of your arms, which is behind your torso while you lay with your back against the pad. All you have to do is sit on an incline bench, have your elbows naturally behind your torso, and then perform the repetition just like any other seated biceps curl.

Final Thoughts

Always switch up your routines every week or two when it comes to training. This is a for sure method that will help increase any muscle growth regardless of the muscle group being exercised. Remember that your biceps are only a small fraction of your body’s muscles, and should not be overloaded with too much isolation against them. The amount of food and protein to support such a drastic workout against your biceps is pretty impossible to even imagine. But feel free to select one or two of these methods to supplement into your back training day.

Strong Fit LivingBrian is a Marine that has become a certified personal trainer and nutritionist. He has written for numerous publications over the past eight years as a freelance writer on topics such as muscle building, weight loss, healthy eating, and more. His eBook for sale is Slim Strong Fit Exercise Programs.

Disclaimer: The views of the author are his or her own, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Ask The Trainer.